Why No Excuse

No Excuse is a blog focusing on poverty and poverty issues in Hamilton, Ontario. Look here daily for news items, events, resources, and a chance to engage in discussions with others on local poverty issues. No Excuse was originally staff-written when it was launched in 2007 as part of the Hamilton Spectator's Poverty Project, but it is now a community blog written by people who come from all walks of city life, but share a deep concern for poverty issues. See "Who Are We" for more information about our authors.

June 2009

June 24, 2009

Mental illness is the invisible disability that carries such a stigma that those who suffer from it do not want to admit to it — or worse, they do not seek help. Not that help always comes to those in need. The recent shooting of a mentally handicapped man by the OPP in Elmvale, Ont. is an example of why.The Select Committee on Mental Health and Addictions Panel, made up of nine MPPs, is currently touring around Ontario to listen to presenters and their personal struggles.Many of the presenters who spoke echoed similar stories of misdiagnosis, lost jobs, lost education and the many disjointed holes in the health sector, policing and political departments. One presenter at the Hamilton session last week spoke about second level lodging homes, where many of those who suffer mental health diseases are dumped. Those with schizophrenia are housed next to drug addicts, exacerbating the problems by having destructive relationships that at times lead to pregnancies.Many of the children from these relations are born with crack addictions. The mothers, unable to care for themselves, are in no position to care for a child, which results in a ripple effect through the community.Our social system is set up to deal with problems after the fact, when the police are called in.Nothing in the medical or education field really sees and deals with the onset of mental illness. Behavioural habits first change on average during the early teenage years, leading even those who are closest to the victim to initially conclude it is a behaviour problem.Many of the presenters stated that “it wasn’t until the police were called” that help finally came. But in most cases the story ends in tragedy. It is only the few who get real help.So little information is shared between the health system, the education system and the social system that terrible holes are waiting for those with mental health issues to fall through the cracks.Many patients or “clients” as they were referred to are arrested more than once. Those who did finally get the help needed to function in the community were simply lucky enough to bump into the right person with the right knowledge.By and large, it was only because an immediate family member strove to educate themselves to be able to act as an advocate and caregiver that the situation had a positive ending.What is needed, all presenters said, was more government funding for outreach workers, education, housing and transportation. Front line people like GPs, the police and teachers need more education on what to look for and how to help someone struggling with mental illness. Many parents pointed out that the medical sector often does not prescribe the right medicine in the right amounts. It is then up to the patient to correct this situation, when they are in a vulnerable state.Currently, navigating through various sources of information is more than difficult. There should be an inventory of sources on the web and in phone books, so family and friends can easily get information and help and make contacts. Case workers must keep families in the loop of information and medical discussions. As things stand now, the patient is the only decision maker, which commonly leads to prescription risks or the stoppage of much needed balancing medicine. Parents of children who suffer from mental illness want everyone to know that the best care is preventive solutions before a client gets arrested or shot for their behaviour. Currently the waiting lists for help extend from six months to over a year.Mentally ill people cannot simply wait for an opening in a treatment centre.First we need to reduce the stigma, especially in the way the media exploits these people for a sensational story. Provincial borders should be eliminated when it comes to treatments and services. Right now, each province has different help programs and social supports. Most importantly, families of those suffering from mental illness want everyone to know that there is a 211 call number available 24/7 for emergency social services help. Unfortunately this number is not available in all provinces.

Photo taken from keepwaddling’s Flicker photostreamhttp://www.flickr.com/people/keepwaddling1/

June 16, 2009

I was reading some stats on poverty rates from the Canadian Council on Social Development and feel a bit confused on some of the stats. The figures show much higher poverty line incomes for large cities compared to smaller towns or rural areas. I do realize that living in very large cities, the cost of housing is higher but man, after living in small towns, I know the cost of food, electricity, fuel etc. are a heck of lot higher. At least in a city you have transit to get you from place to place but living in smaller communities there is rarely a transit system. In fact many times there is no transit even to larger communities. This means you must have the added expense of owning a car or are reliant on friends to take you.Small towns rarely have food banks and if they do they are limited in food. There is no such thing as Value Village or Goodwill where you can get clothes at reduced rates. In fact any clothes available in the small towns are quite costly.So, why are there such large discrepancies? I find these arbitrary figures distort our view as to who really is living in poverty. Does this mean you are having a better quality of life living in a small town or rural area than a large city? Or are we just more visible here in the city?

June 12, 2009

It’s time to show you care! The 3rd annual Hope
from Hope food drive and challenge has begun.

Many of you
may remember that back in the summer of 2007 our local food banks were facing a
crisis situation; many had to close their doors for a time due to empty
shelves. The Spectator’s poverty beat reporter at that time, Bill Dunphy, had
reported on the dire situation in an article printed in the Spec as well as on
this No Excuse Blog. Food drives popped up all over the city and some food
banks were able to re-open because of that.

It was then
that the “Hope from Hope” Food Drive was born. Bill Dunphy followed up with a
story about our food drive in the Spec on Aug 1, 2007. Since that time we have
continued to hold a summer food drives and challenge others to do the same.
Last year we collected over 6,000 pounds of food donations and over $1,000 for Mission Services of Hamilton food bank.

This year,
due to our local economic crisis, donations are needed more than ever. We are issuing
a city-wide challenge to neighborhood associations, streets, families,
businesses and workplaces to follow our lead by holding food drives and making
donations.

Together we
can help alleviate the extra burden that so many families are facing, by
ensuring that there is food on the shelves of the food banks.

Some may
say it is just a Band-Aid solution and I agree it may be, but until poverty is
history, people still need to eat! Go to our web site or contact
Michelle at Mission Services of Hamilton at 905 528-4212 ext 116 to see how you
can help.

Are you up
to the challenge? Do you have any ideas on where to hold food drives?

A new language interpretation service
should make a difference for Hamilton tenants.

By
calling the Hamilton Tenant Helpline at 905-526-9119, tenants can get help in
understanding their rights and receive basic information and referrals to help
through their housing crises. And they can get this help in the
language of their choice.

“All
Hamiltonians should have access to crucial housing information that can mean
the difference between eviction and having a safe home regardless of the
language they speak,” states Yolisa Nongauza, Coordinator of the Tenant
Outreach and Education Initiative.

To
use this free service the caller simply needs to identify their language and
wait to have an interpreter join the call. The wait should be less than two
minutes. The caller will then receive up-to-date tenancy information through an
interpreter.

The
service is available through the Housing Help Centre and the three Community
Legal Clinics in Hamilton as a pilot project.

A
majority of newcomers and immigrants end up renting in some form when they
first come to Canada. This service has the potential to support them
through any tenant and landlord issue they may face.

I
think you’ll agree that the language line is a great idea.

It
is important that we get the word out about this service to newcomers and
immigrants.

June 04, 2009

There is an opportunity to improve the health, safety and well being of tenants
in Hamilton.

Cities now have new powers to license residential rental units. The City of
Hamilton wants to know from you if this is a good idea and they have started a
consultation.

Very few tenants turned out for the first Public Information Centre this past
Monday. I’m worried that this low turnout might give city officials the wrong
impression that everything is OK for tenants in the city.

The City Wide Residential Housing Review is seeking “input on the
appropriateness and the prospective extent of regulating rental housing in
Hamilton.”

I’ve written about it before – just last month in fact - but it’s important so
I’m repeating myself.

A possible outcome of the consultation could be a licensing program that would
use inspections to proactively address sub-standard or unsuitable rental housing
conditions.

There are several ways you can make your views known.

1. Go to a public information meeting. Meetings are coming up Monday June 8 at
Lake Avenue School and Monday July 8 at Chedoke Hospital (Nash Auditorium) in
the Wilcox Building.

And/or

2. You can answer a questionnaire that can be found at www.myhamilton.ca and click on the City Wide Residential
Housing Review.